Travel Agents celebrate the end of the Outgoing Passenger Card

Australia’s travel industry entered a new, simpler era over the weekend, one where outgoing travellers are no longer required to delay their walk through customs by filling out a seemingly unnecessary green piece of paper.

Hundreds of holidaymakers flying on Saturday and Sunday were among the first to experience a form-less journey from check-in to customs as the Outgoing Passenger Card was officially removed from Australia’s international gateways.

The change, we imagine, was well received and in some cases, unnoticed, by departing travellers, while for Travel Agents, the adjustment was one worth celebrating.

So when the day of the Outgoing Passenger Card’s official departure rolled around over the weekend, Travel Agents either sealed the green papers in an air-tight bag in the hopes that one day they will become expensive collectable items…

And others threw theirs in the air, literally…

The team from Reho Travel ‘made it rain departure cards’ at 12.01am on Saturday when the green card officially became a “thing of the past’.

Sharing their excitement to social media, the company said they were happy they wouldn’t have to “steal” for the airport anymore before wishing followers a “happy end of financial year”.

“Wanna see how a bunch of Travel Agents feel when they don’t have to steal departure cards from the airport anymore?????”

Although for years, the green identification card gave the Australian government useful insight into those leaving the country, it was recently determined by those same leaders that the paper-based system wasn’t the most “efficient” means of gathering data as it complicated the departure process for visitors.

Australia’s Minister for Immigration and Border Protection, Peter Dutton said in a statement that he hopes the removal of the Outgoing Passenger Card will make travel through Australia “more seamless, secure and simplified” for holidaymakers.

What did you do to celebrate the removal of the Outgoing Passenger Card?